Methob oe beeiming wool-gbease



JAMES O. HANDY AND ROBERT M. ISHAM,

ORS TO PITTSBURGH TESTING LABORATORY, OF

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN- PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A

METHOD OF REFININ G WOOL-GREASE.

LTWLOML No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES O. HANDY and ROBERT M. IsHAM, both citizensof the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, Allegheny county,Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Method of Refining Wool-Grease, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention has relation to an improved method of refining wool greaseto obtain what is known as neutral wool grease or lanolin-3 Theseproducts are used largely in the leather industry, the lubricating oilindustry, and in pharmacy.

The wool grease available for our method of treatment is of two kinds,namely: naphtha extracted grease obtained by treatment of the raw woolwith naphtha, and brown wool grease, or degras, recovered byacidification of the soapy water obtained in the usual processes of woolscouring. The naphtha extracted grease is of-lighter color and containsless free fatty acids, while the other product contains all the fattyacids which were in the soap. Our method of refining is applicable toboth these products, although we preferably use the naphtha extractedgrease.

The refining problem consists in the removal of the free fatty acids,together with a small portion of the neutral grease, to produce aproduct which bleaches readily to a yellow color, isneutral, and whichconsists chiefly of the waxy portion ofthe original grease. This problemis a difficult one, because of the tendency of the grease when stirredwith watery liquids to form a persistent emulsion therewith.

It has been usual in the prior art to first neutralize or saponifythegrease by the use of an alkali (soda or potash) in an amount slightly inexcess of the quantity required to combine with the free fatty acids.The next step has been the separation 'of the soap thus produced fromthe neutral wool grease which it is desired to recover. If the mix-'ture is placed in water, or if water is added to the mixture and themass is stirred, an emulsion will be formed even before all the soap isdissolved. The solution of the soap is also hindered by the stiffconsistency of the wool grease itself.

Our present invention provides a method Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 121%.

Application filed April 22, 1916. Serial No. 92,844.

in which the use of water and the resulting objectionableemulsifications are obviated.

In accordance with our invention the wool grease is melted and is thentreated with successive portions of alcohol (either wood or grainalcohol). The grease and alcohol are first stirred together, and thenare allowed to'separat'e. The free fatty acids are much more soluble inalcohol than is the neutral wool grease; and we have found that byrepeated alcohol extractions which reduce the orlglnal wool grease toabout per cent. of its former Weight, the free fatty acids may bereduced from 8 per cent. to about 4 per cent. Beyond this point,however, further, reduction by alcohol treatment is not practicable. Theresidual grease is then freed of retained alcohol by distillation,

and dissolved in petrolic ether (or naphtha or gasolene of the properboiling point, preferably 80 degrees to 100 degrees centigrade) in theratio of one gallon per pound of grease. The petrolic ether solution ofthe grease is then agitated with powdered magnesium oxid' added in theform of a dry powder (or other suitable basic oxid or hydroxid such ascommercial hydrated lime) in a proportion approm'mately equivalent to 10per cent. of the weight of the grease. This partially completes theneutralization. Bleaching is simultaneously effected by adding fullersearth in an amount approximately equalto the weight of the grease. Theaction of the fullers earth is peculiarly effective at this time, asmore fully described and claimed in the copendmg application of James 0.Handy, Serial No.- 92,845, filed April 22, 1916. We then add alcohol tothe solution in the proportion of about one-half pint to each tengallons of petrolic ether and agitate for a short time. This smallalcohol addition permits the final neutralization to take place and italso coagulates the fine suspended matter and causes. it to settle.

Our invention provides a method by which the free fatty acids arerapidly reduced, so that a neutral grease may be obtained after one ortwo treatments. advantage over the usual alkali treatment of notrequiring water and of not darkening the grease. After the fullers earthhas been settled or filtered out, the neutral grease It has the decidedand simultaneously may be recovered from the petrolic ether solution bydistillation.

By the term petrolic ether as used herein and in the appended claims, weintend to include naphtha, gasolene, and all similar petroleum productshaving a sufiiciently low boiling point. The boiling point should not besufficiently low to cause loss, and, on the other hand, it should not besufiiciently high to give undesirable residual products under theconditions of evaporation employed. In practice we have found a producthaving a boiling point of from 7 0 degrees to 100 degrees C'., andpreferably between 80 degrees and 100 degrees C., to give good results.

e claim:

1. In the art of refining wool grease, the method which consists inmelting the raw grease and treating it with alcohol to reduce the fattyacids contained therein, forming a solution of the partly neutralizedgrease, and treating such solution with a neutralizing agent in the formof a dry powder, substantially as described. 1

2. In the art of refining wool grease, the method which consists inmelting the grease and treating it with alcohol to partially remove thefree fatty acid contained in the grease, and completing theneutralization by agitating the grease in a petrolic ether solution witha basic oxid or hydroxid in the form of a dry powder, substantially asdescribed.

3. In the art of refining wool grease, the method which consists inmelting the grease and treating it with alcohol to partially remove thefree fatty acid contained in the grease, and completing theneutralization by agitating the grease in a petrolic other solution withmagnesium oxid in the form of adry powder, substantially as described.

4 In the art of refining wool grease, the method which consists intreating the grease with alcohol to remove aportion of the containedfree fatty acid therefrom, completing the neutralization by agitatingthe grease in a petrolic other solution with a basic oxid or hydroxid inthe form of a dry powder, and simultaneously treating with fullers earthfor bleaching purposes, substantially as described.

5. In the art of refining wool grease, the method which consists intreating the grease With alcohol to remove a portion of the containedfree fatty acid therefrom, completing the neutralization by agitatingthe grease in a petrolic ether solution with ma gnesium oxid in the formof a dry powder, treating with fullers 'tained free fatty acid earth forbleaching purposes, substantially as described.

6. In the art of refining wool grease, the method which consists intreating the grease with alcohol to remove a portion of thecontherefrom, completing the neutralization by agitating the grease in apetrolic ether solution with a .basic oxid or hydroxid in the form of adry powder, and simultaneously treating with fullers earth for bleachingpurposes, and finally distilling the petrolic ether solution to recoverthe neutral grease, substantially as described.

(- In the art of refining wool grease, the

method which consists in melting the grease with alcohol to partiallyremove the fatty acids contained therein, dissolving the residual greasein petrolic ether, adding alcohol to the solution so formed, and thencompleting the neutralization by agitating the solution with a basicoxid or hydroxid in the form of a dry powder, substantially asdescribed.

8. In the art of refining wool grease, the method which consists inmelting the grease with alcohol to partially remove the fatty acidscontained therein, dissolving the residual grease in petrolic ether,adding alcohol to the solution so formed, and then completing theneutralization by agitating the solution with magnesium oxid in the formof a dry powder, substantially as described.

9. In the art of refining wool grease, the method which consists informing a solu tion of the grease in petrolic ether, adding alcohol tothe solution so formed and neutralizing the grease by agitation withmagnesium oxid or other basic oxid or hydroxid in the form of a. drypowder, substantially as described.

10. In the art of refining wool grease, the method which consists informing a solution of the grease in petrolic ether, bleaching andpartially neutralizing'the same by agitation with fullers earth andmagnesium oxid or other basic oxid or hydroxid, adding alcohol to thesolution and continuing the agitation to complete the neutralization ofthe grease, and to coagulate the fine clay substance in the fullersearth, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

JAMES O. HANDY. ROBERT M. ISHAM. \Vitnesses W. C. LYoN, H. M. 001mm.

